decidedly organized in a manner that ensures regime change with President Zuma’s
endorsement simply because he has been used to make the ridiculous proposal. We will
not allow that to happen. Never ever!..
It has become very clear that Zimbabwe’s national security interests do not lie in SADC or
AU pacts given the Judas Iscariot fact that is now rampant in the region. The time to forge
strategic partnerships that really matter in today’s geopolitics has come. The summit in
Livingstone was an early warning signal for our country to move rapidly to make defence
pacts with real friends with real power.42
These statements clearly showed that for Zanu PF and Mugabe, who had since 2000 clearly
articulated a strategy that sought to displace the Zimbabwe crisis on to the SADC region and the
African continent through a discourse of Pan Africanism and anti‐imperialism and in so doing tie
both into a solidarity pact, the Troika resolutions in Livingstone represented a decisive crack in
the strategy. From a consistent chorus of praise for the regional body Zanu PF once again showed
the ugly grimace of its disapproval for all who dared to question its interpretation of the
Zimbabwean crisis. Moyo’s suggestion that Zimbabwe should start forging ‘strategic partnerships
that really matter’ clearly pointed in the direction of China, which it should be noted is the only
foreign country exempted from the Indigenisation and Empowerment Act.43 However it was also
clear that through such pronouncements Zanu PF exposed itself to the threat of being engulfed
by its own political hubris, a fact which soon became clear as Mugabe’s spokesman attempted
some damage control a few days later by distancing the government from such statements.44
5.
Conclusion and Way Forward
This report has argued that it is a mistake to overlook the ambiguities of the GPA and the
opportunities it has provided for moving Zimbabwe politics forward, notwithstanding its
limitations. Through the structures of the agreement and the broader regional accountability it
provided, the GPA forced Zanu PF into forms of accountability that it would not have tolerated
before 2008, and which it continued to find unpalatable. Thus the politics of the GPA, in the
context of wider regional, continental and international pressures, reminded Zanu PF that its
42
Jonathan Moyo, ‘Unmasking SADC Troika circus in Zambia.’
www.zimpapers.co.zw/index.php?view=article&catid=39%3Aopinion&id=2629% Accessed on 04/04/2011.
43
Owen Gagare, ‘Kasukuwere exempts Chinese from Indigenisation.’ NewsDay 03/03/2011.
44
George Charamba stated:’ The opinion of the Sunday Mail has been conflated with opinion of the Government of
Zimbabwe. I hope this article which reflects views and concerns of the Government puts this needless conflation to
rest.’ Tobias Manyuchi, ‘Zuma’s team in Harare.’ www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6659. Accessed on
07/04/2011.
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